Steyn retains doubts over fitness for Test comeback

Dale Steyn is highly unlikely to make his long-awaited comeback in South Africa's upcoming Test series with Bangladesh as he continues to recovery from shoulder surgery.

Steyn has been absent for the Proteas since the Perth Test of their tour to Australia in November 2016, having moved to within four Test wickets of Shaun Pollock's all-time South African record.

His return was expected to come six months later but his rehabilitation has dragged on and he remains on the sidelines.

The 34-year-old had hinted his return was imminent with an Instagram post last month captioned "the wait is over" and he had pencilled in a four-day outing for the Titans against Dolphins next week at Centurion.

However, Steyn remains uncertain about his capability to play a full red-ball contest and has called off his comeback.

"I've decided not to play right now," Steyn told ESPNcricinfo. "I'm bowling fine but I haven't hit the full workload I'd need to handle four-day cricket or a Test so I decided it was best not to play.

"Playing the four-day game would have given me a chance for selection in the Tests but I don't want to put myself or the team in a position where I pull up again. Some shorter cricket might be the better answer for a reintroduction."

Steyn added: "I might just play some club stuff in Pretoria or Cape Town. It doesn't really matter to me at what level it is, I just need some cricket and I thought going from nothing to possibly bowling 30-plus overs was a bit of a risk. 

"It sucks, but I want to play for a few more years, not just till the end of October.

"It's been a frustrating time, but I want to play for a few more years and I'm confident I will. The longer stuff is too much right now, so we wait for possibly the white ball to come around."